The present invention relates to container overcaps, and more particularly, to overcaps for adjustable volume containers.
Multi-ply composite containers are used for packaging a wide variety of food and drink products, as well as other perishable items. Some of these containers, such as containers for potato crisps, are constructed to be opened at either one of two spaced ends that are sealed, either permanently or with a removable seal. To package perishable food products, a container is required that is rigid enough to retain its shape during shipping while tightly sealing the food product to protect against deterioration, leakage and contamination. Thus, these composite containers conventionally include three separate plies or sets of plies and two end closures.
First, at least one structural body ply made of paperboard material is included, which is formed into a tubular structure by wrapping a continuous strip of body ply paperboard material around a shaping mandrel. The body ply is spirally wound around the mandrel or passed through a series of forming elements so as to be wrapped in a convolute shape around the mandrel. These containers also typically include a liquid impermeable liner ply adhered to the inner surface of the paperboard body ply. The liner ply seals the food product within the container, and also prevents liquids, which may possibly contaminate the food product, from entering the container. Some liner plies are also gas impermeable, so as to not only prevent food product odors from escaping the can, but also prevent atmospheric air from entering the container and spoiling the food product. Thus, while the purpose of the body ply is to provide necessary structural properties to the container, the liner ply provides various properties necessary to contain and maintain the perishable food product.
A label ply is also included, and is adhered to the outer surface of the paperboard body ply. The label ply serves two primary functions. First, a composite can label is a source of information. The label carries graphical matter that conveys product information, instructions, and regulatory compliance information. The label is also aesthetically pleasing to the consumer, which enhances shelf appeal and increases consumer interest in the product.
In addition to the three separate plies which make-up the multi-ply composite container, to withstand the rigors of shipping the food product and internal pressure sometimes produced within the containers, such composite containers typically also include metallic or plastic end closures configured to engage an end portion of the paperboard body ply. The metal or plastic ends serve to provide rigidity to the composite containers while retaining the food product.
A critical factor in composite container design is the ease with which such containers may be opened. These containers are often designed to incorporate different opening features. Where the food product is potato crisps, for example, the composite container is typically designed with a metal closure at one of its ends, and a removable foil seal or membrane with a plastic overcap at the other. In this way, the container is easily reclosed after the foil seal is broken. Thus, left over food product can be easily stored in the reclosable container.
One common problem associated with composite container product packaging is that the volume of the composite container is fixed, while the volume of the food product within the container diminishes as the food product is consumed. Thus, when tall, narrow tubular food product containers are used to package snacks or other consumable products such as potato crisps, the consumer often is unable to reach the food product near the bottom of the container. Such containers are too small in diameter to allow an entire hand to reach into the container, and too tall to allow the fingers alone to reach the food product near the container bottom.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/561,662 for a xe2x80x9cMulti-Ply Composite Container With Region Of Weakened Strength And Method For Manufacturing Samexe2x80x9d filed concurrently herewith, and which is incorporated herein by reference, proposes a multi-ply composite container that solves the problem of the consumer being unable to reach the food near the bottom of the container as the food is consumed. In particular, the multi-ply composite container of the above-referenced application utilizes scores lines to create regions of weakened strength in the composite container and thereby advantageously permit the composite container to be reduced, or broken, into discreet sections. As the volume of the food product within the composite container is reduced through consumption, therefore, the size of the composite container can be reduced, or broken apart, by hand, section by section, to conform to the volume reduction of the food product. The composite container of the above-referenced application is therefore reducible so that its size will continuously compliment and accommodate the volume of food product in the container. One of the resulting features of the reduced container is that the outer diameter of the mouth of the reduced container is smaller than the outer diameter of the mouth of the container before it is reduced.
It would be desirable to provide an overcap for an adjustable volume container that is versatile enough to compliment the adjustable volume characteristics of such a container. In particular, it would be desirable to have a multi-functional end closure that compliments the adjustable volume characteristics of the container such that the container/overcap assembly would be self-contained and continuously accommodate the volume of the food product in the container.
These and other objects and advantages are provided, according to the present invention, by a reversible overcap for an adjustable volume container for consumer products. The reversible overcap includes a first side adapted for engaging a retaining rim formed in one end of the container and a second side adapted for engaging an exposed end of a remaining portion of the container. The exposed end of the container is formed by separating a portion of the container from the remaining portion of the container.
The first side of the reversible overcap includes a radially extending surface and an annular rim extending outwardly from the radially extending surface for engaging the retaining rim of the container. In one embodiment, the annular rim extends perpendicularly from the radially extending surface of the reversible overcap.
The second side of the reversible overcap includes an annular member that is adapted to frictionally engage the exposed end of the remaining portion of the container. In one embodiment, the member is a channel having a U-shape.
Consequently, the overcap of the present invention is versatile enough to compliment the adjustable volume characteristics of adjustable volume composite containers such as the container disclosed in the above application. In particular, the overcap of the present invention is designed to accommodate both the diameter of the mouth of the unreduced container and the diameter of the mouth of the reduced volume container. The overcap of the present invention is thus, advantageously, a multi-functional end closure that is part of a completely self-contained adjustable volume container for consumer products that continuously accommodates the volume of the food product in the container.